Tips for Getting Culture Right: Brand Building

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We at Univision Communications Inc know how difficult it can be to get culture “right,” especially when it seems like every few weeks the industry is engaged in another conversation about a brand or business that has offended with their latest campaign.

Over the past 60 years, we’ve had the privilege of helping clients across nearly every industry navigate culture. In doing so, we’ve learned a lot about reaching just about every growth segment, and in this two-part series we’re sharing tips to help you get culture “right.”

BUILD YOUR BRAND FIRST

Whether you are an established brand or new to market, your brand’s awareness and emotional connection to a growth segment is likely different from what it is with the general market. As such, remember to put your brand in the driver’s seat, by focusing on sincerity and authenticity. In fact, you may be surprised to find that different parts of your brand’s DNA resonate with growth segments. It’s crucial to ensure that your branding is strong to differentiate yourself from competitors – especially in categories where ads look very similar, formulaic and/or where messages are not highly differentiated.

If you remember one key insight, it’s this: 88% of Hispanics say that companies that make a sincere effort with the Hispanic community deserve their loyalty. So as you develop your brand strategy, be sure to keep your growth segments top of mind from the very beginning to help you better understand both your consumer, and potential watch-outs that may arise further downstream. We worked with one of the largest drug store chains in America who took this approach, leading them to adjust their in-store experience and product selection to better cater to the Hispanic consumer. Their upstream planning also informed their creative – and both results (in-store sales and creative testing) were extremely strong.

GO BEYOND THE DATA

While it can seem easy to look at data and demographics and build a consumer profile, the tendency to use data to tell the full story can lead to shallow insights that lead to operating on stereotypes. To develop a rich, insights-driven plan, use a combination of qualitative and quantitative research techniques to turn data points into an intimate understanding of real people and families. In the words of author Jennifer Mueller, “Metrics cannot tell you the future, but they can tell you what the journey should be.” Working with partners like UCI who have proven experience with these consumers can help you make more informed decisions, especially when you receive topline data.

Additionally, complement your learnings with a robust understanding of category-based insights among your growth segment, as they can vary greatly. For example, in most categories, people want to recognize themselves, families and situations as they are right now. But in finance, Hispanics want to see a successful and aspirational version of themselves—the person they will become in the future.

NEXT STEPS: CREATIVE

Start with these principles and you will be well on your way to getting culture “right.” Click here to read the second installment of “How to Get Culture Right,” with a focus on the next step: creative development.